Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23610 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-11-19
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English, Spanish
• Subtitled in: English, French, German, Dutch
• Number of discs: 3
• Running time: 374 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Often hailed as the greatest ever British sitcom, Fawlty Towers is closer to the more elaborate tradition of farce. Comprising two series made in 1975 and 1979, the total of just 12 episodes were painstakingly constructed by writers John Cleese and Connie Booth. Unlike most British farce, however, Fawlty Towers deals with the big themes--death, psychology, xenophobia and even sex-o-phobia (Basil's marriage to Sybil is the most sterile ever depicted in a sitcom). Basil's contempt for his guests is, of course, legendary. It takes little from patrons to unleash his sledgehammer sarcasm: "Rosewood, mahogany, teak? Sorry, I was wondering what you'd like your breakfast tray made out of", he sneers at a guest who dares to request breakfast in bed. Like every Englishman, he wants to be king of his own castle and resents having to take in lodgers to maintain the place, especially the open-necked younger generation, whom he regards as sub-human. Mostly, though, Fawlty Towers is comedy of exasperation--who can forget the "damn good thrashing" Basil gives his clapped-out car, or the nervous breakdowns he almost suffers trying to make himself understood to Manuel? It's also comedy of embarrassment. The very fear of losing his dignity generally leads Basil into the most spectacularly undignified of predicaments. His inevitable misery is our sheer delight. -- David Stubbs

On the DVD: each six-episode season is given its own disc with a commentary track from John Howard Davies and Bob Spiers, directors of Season 1 and Season 2 respectively. The third disc has all the additional material, the best of which are new interviews with John Cleese, Andrew Sachs and Prunella Scales. Also included are text biographies of all the leads and the guest stars, a short background featurette on Torquay and the hotel owner who is said to have inspired Basil, a very short blooper reel of outtakes and a brief teaser with Cleese in character entitled "Cheap Tatty Review". Much of this extra material was comfortably fitted onto the individually available Season 1 and 2 discs, so it's a bit of a mystery why a third disc was deemed necessary for the box set. --Mark Walker

DVD Description
Contains all twelve episodes from both series of Fawlty Towers:

Disc One – Series One:

• A Touch Of Class
  
• The Builders
  
• The Wedding Party
  
• The Hotel Inspectors
  
• Gourmet Night
  
• The Germans

Disc Two – Series Two:

• Communication Problems
  
• The Psychiatrist
  
• Waldorf Salad
  
• The Kipper And The Corpse
  
• The Anniversary
  
• Basil The Rat

Disc Three – DVD Special Features

Special Features

• Exclusive interview with John Cleese
  
• Exclusive interview with Prunella Scales
  
• Exclusive interview with Andrew Sachs
  
• A commentary on Series One by the director of Series One, John Howard Davies
  
• A commentary on Series Two by the director of Series Two, Bob Spiers
  
• Artist profiles
  
• Out-takes
  
• Torquay Tourist Guide (short documentary film)
  
• Illustrated booklet
  
• Scene selection

DVD Technical Information:

• Digitally remastered
  
• Subtitles: English SDH, English, French, German, Dutch
  
• Audio: Dolby Digital Dual Mono
  
• Region Code: 2,4
  
• Disc Format: x3 DVD-9
  
• Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  
• Total Running Time: 374 minutes

Customer Reviews

HOW TO MAKE A CLASSIC COMEDY IN 12 HILARIOUS LESSONS
Firstly my reveiw is based on the actual episodes and not the DVD as an item. I actually own the series on VHS and "Fawlty Towers" is probably the best example of how not to overkill an idea. The fact that there are only 12 Episodes over 2 series filmed 4 years apart (1975 & 1979) probably speaks volumes for the methodology in the creative genius of co-writers John Cleese & Connie Booth. So often we have sitcoms & comedy shows (more often American than British) that don't know when to kill a tired idea, often running it out to the point of boredom. That's not the case here. Each episode contains lines that have become part of everyday language (when have we not quoted certain "Fawlty" moments to our friends, loved ones or even ourselves?) - e.g "don't mention the war", "Que?", "Ohh I Knooww!", "you can see the sea, it's over there between the land & the sky!", "Basil!", "Which horse, Nitwit or Dragonfly?", "Just checking the walls", "Fawlty - what's wrong with him?", "why do they call you sister, is it a term of endearment?" etc ad infinitum. I find it difficult to watch any episode and not recite it virtually word for word.
It's not easy to pick a favorite episode. "The Builders", "Mrs. Richards", "The Hotel Inspectors", "The Germans", "Basil The Rat", "The Kipper & The Corpse", "The Wedding Party", "The Psychiatrists" & "Gourmet Night"... what the heck all of them have wonderfully absurd moments that just stick in the brain and stay there forever. From Basil finding bricks instead of valuables in a guest's briefcase, to him thrashing his car and not finding a duck in the trifle, to Mrs. Richards' "the hotel guest from hell", to Manuel serenading his "Filigree Siberian hamster", to Polly & Sybil entertaining on Gourmet Night, not to mention "Basil The Rat" in the biscuit tin. Care for some Sino-Scandinavian veal perhaps? Try cancelling your fruit salad (it's a bit difficult, chef's just opened the tin!)
Get the point? As I stated at the start I've concentrated on the show itself...after all, in this case, who really cares about the little extras. Buy it just for these 12 brilliant episodes because nothing else matters.

Right, thats it!!!
At long last - the complaete Fawlty Towers in one place - and on DVD too. This is British comedy at its best, proving that well written comedy never shows its age. Having watched Fawlty Towers over and over again for the lat twenty years i suspected that buying this set would just be a case of replacing my well worn VHS set. This was not the case as the newly remastered DVD's have added a whole new dimension to my viewing pleasure. Long live Basil Fawlty!!!

Classic British Comedy
It's such a shame they only produced 12 episodes of this program. It could quite easily have lasted at least as long as Porridge. This is classic British comedy at its finest and Cleese in awesome Python form delivers punchlines and satire with such memorable wit that people still quote him today, (sometimes without even realising it!) All of the actors deliver five star performances and the characters are brilliantly unique yet they all work so well together;

Basil's wife Sybil wears the trousers but Polly the maid is the only one with enough brains to know what is really going on, Manuel the bell boy is almost impossible to communicate with but tries so very hard, Terry the cook is a perfect example of someone who does just enough to get by but clearly has other priorities and Basil is desperate to run his Hotel the way he wants for the clientelle he desires but trounces himself with a web of compulsive lies every single time.

The best example of Basil's shameful compulsive lying is "The Anniversary" where one white lie grows so big that Basil is forced to take extreme measures (I don't want to spoil it!).

This complete series DVD is excellent value when you consider the quality of the comedy on offer here, I thoroughly recommend anyone to buy it.